The Nightmare
by CopeWithTheFeels
Summary: What if the one woman Erik loves, the one person he would do anything for, rejected him and chose death rather than life with him? PLEASE READ UNTIL THE VERY END, TWIST ENDING.


"Choose, my love, either the grasshopper, or the scorpion…" Erik murmurs as he gently walks towards the love of his life. She is so beautiful…

Even in this dark lighting, she is breathtaking.

His heart is beating so fast, he feels it in his throat. But from the outside, Erik is cold and composed, not giving anything away. He cocks his head playfully, looking at Christine, not blinking.

Her perfect face is crumpled with worry and fear. She knows that the choice she makes now will either change her life forever or end it.

Erik feels her fear. Who would want to spend a lifetime with such a hideous monster? Erik winces at the thought.

But he wants her so badly. His home looks so much lighter and warmer with _her_ in it… Without her, it is just a dark cave. Erik studies her features carefully. Yes, she is, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman on earth.

Raoul's shallow breathing is the only thing distracting him from _her_. Raoul is tied to the bars of the gate that is the entrance to Erik's home, and as time ticks on, it is harder and harder for him to breathe. Raoul whimpers, making Christine turn around.

"Quiet!" Erik snaps at the boy, shushing him immediately. That's better.

"Don't," Christine whispers softly. Erik sees how much she loves the brat, and it hurts him more than anything.

Erik takes another step closer to Christine. "Choose, darling, or I will have to do it for you…" he mutters lovingly, but the words sound menacing and scary to Christine, coming from _his_ mouth.

"I…" she starts, opening and closing her mouth, unable to find the right words. "I just…" she tries again, failing to express herself. "I'm… sorry," she whispers finally, more to Raoul than to Erik.

"No…" Raoul chokes, "Ah…" he attempts to say something, something that will stop her, something that will make her change her mind, but words are trapped in his mouth, not able to escape between his rapid breaths. He coughs quietly as realization sets in. He is going to die.

She quietly reaches over to the grasshopper, and hesitating, looks at Erik.

"No," Erik whispers, his gaze soft and pleading. Will she? Or is she just scaring him?

Of course she isn't. Erik should have known. No one would agree to spend a lifetime with someone like _him._ She is beautiful, young and kind. He is a ghastly murdered with a dark past. Who was he kidding?

Erik once again notices how beautiful she is. It never gets old. Through the fog in his head, he wonders if her charm will always fascinate him, even when she is old and her skin is wrinkled. The thought of that makes him smile, as warm daydreams float in his head. Spending a lifetime with Christine. His Christine.

A ghost of a smile crosses his lips, surprising Christine. She feels tears rising up to her eyes. She is just not strong enough for the scorpion. She simply can't.

"I'm sorry," she whispers again, this time to Erik. And he truly believes she is. Such an innocent, caring child she is. Her gaze is soft, but deep in her eyes he sees something else. Surrender. She gave up. She no longer wants to fight for her life. And it is his entire fault.

Erik looks down, unable to look at the sad, broken girl in front of him. Looking down, he closes his eyes.

He feels a hand on his shoulder. A small, gentle hand. He looks up, and sees his beloved Christine, with tears in her eyes. "I truly am," she mouths, barely audible. Raoul continues groaning and moaning, hardly breathing. The hate for Raoul brings Erik back to reality.

Erik nods, accepting her choice.

"Your choice." He says coldly. He will not be warm and gentle in his last seconds of life. Warm and gentle gets you nowhere, especially if you look like him…

Christine nods, swallowing her tears.

"_Don't do it! Please!"_ Erik wants to scream. "_A life with me won't be that bad, I promise. I will give you anything your heart desires, diamonds, and gold… Music!" _

But he can't. With a large lump in his throat, he can barely breathe. Nothing he can say will change her mind. He is a monster, and he has accepted that a long time ago.

Christine puts her hand on the grasshopper, and turns it, her eyes closed, her eyebrows knotted.

The last thing Erik remembers is her beautiful face, creased and wrinkled with fear.

For a second, there is silence. Even Raoul stops breathing, waiting for the explosion.

And the next moment, the silence is broken, and all the noise in the world comes crashing down on the three as the Paris Opera House blows up into a million pieces.

Erik wakes up, whimpering and breathing hard. His heart is beating fast, and his nightgown is wet with perspiration.

"You chose the grasshopper!" he yells into the silence, unable to shake off the terrible nightmare. "You would rather die than spend your life with me!" he screams, wet with sweat and tears.

"Shh," comes a quiet sound from the darkness. Warm, soft hands wrap around him, hugging him close, making him feel at home.

"Quiet, now, that was just a nightmare," Christine whispers, kissing him gently on his balding scalp. "I would never chose anything over you," she murmurs close to his ear, and Erik closes his eyes, listening to the sound of her beautiful voice.

Erik starts weeping, sobs rocking his body. Unable to stop, he shakes violently in her hands, whispering her name over and over again.

"Shh," she chuckles. "It's over, the nightmare is over," she says again and again.

"Hush, now," she says and starts humming softly, her voice gentle and beautiful. As she hums, the remains of the dream in Erik's head scurry off, replaced with the beautiful melody.

Even after Erik is still and quiet, she continues humming.

And in her arms, feeling safe, home and happy, Erik falls back asleep.


End file.
